Bogan hiring the latest sign that Maranatha is on the verge of becoming a powerhouse …

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Pasadena is there for the taking. I know it. You know it. Maranatha High School knows it. And more importantly, the school is doing something about it.

Pasadena is well known as an athletics hotbed. It’s also no secret that its public school system, especially in terms of athletics, is a bit of a wreck. Coaches are woefully underpaid and the amount of turnover is staggering in terms of coaches and athletes is staggering.

Who better to take advantage of this than Maranatha?

And why not? There’s currently a pipeline of Pasadena football talent extending to the San Fernando Valley and beyond where schools like Alemany, Crespi and Oaks Christian are being bankrolled by our local talent.

What if those kids looking for an alternative to Pasadena public schools decided to stay close to home and pursue their athletic dreams locally? Maranatha, with its growing list of top-notch coaches, is doing whatever it can to make itself look like the top option.

It simply can’t be on accident that in the last year Maranatha has hired Mr. Basketball in Pasadena, Tim Tucker, to head its boys hoops program. And now four-time CIF champion Steve Bogan has been brought in to coach the football team.

It doesn’t stop there. In the girls basketball program, there’s a marquee name on the coaching staff like Tye’sha Fluker, who starred at Muir before attending Tennessee and playing with four teams in the WNBA. Think she can teach the younger generation a thing or two?

The baseball program has former Temple City standout pitcher Ryan Tucker, who had a brief career recently in Major League Baseball with the Florida Marlins and Texas Rangers, on staff as pitching coach.

Again, none of these things are happening on accident. The collection of coaches being assembled on campus at Maranatha isn’t by mistake. It’s almost as if Maranatha has realized what so many schools fail to understand — the best way to build a thriving high school is through athletics. Especially for a private school.

And the best way to build a great athletics program is to first start by hiring the best coaches around. Many of Maranatha’s athletic programs are already successful. The football team won a league championship last fall. The boys basketball came close to tying powerful Village Christian for the league title. The girls basketball team won league. The baseball team is currently tied for first.

Simply winning league championships won’t be enough. Bogan will be expected to do that and then follow it with postseason success. It won’t be easy because building a football program is the longest job a coach can have. But Bogan is starting with a good foundation and should some of that Pasadena talent come trickling in, things may get real good, real fast.

Tucker is already well on his way. Maranatha had several transfers into the program last year and there figures to be another good haul this season. The girls basketball team just saw standout Channon Fluker, formerly of Muir, earn Star-News Player of the Year honors.

The ball is already rolling at Maranatha. The city is there for the taking. The coaches are in place to take it both in terms of getting talent in and knowing what to do with it when they’ve got it.

We will never know what goes on behind closed doors at Maranatha, but we don’t need to hear the conversation when the actions are right under our noses. Maranatha is making its move. It’s bidding to become a Pasadena sports powerhouse. And if you’re good here, you’re good anywhere.

In a city where so many other schools are content to sit back and let it happen, who’s really going to bet against the Minutemen?

Bishop Amat’s Tre Sidney and Tyler Vaughns, and St. Francis’ Dylan Crawford pick up offers from USC …

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Tre Sidney (right) doing what he does.

It was quite a weekend for the Bishop Amat WR/DB tandem of Tre Sidney and Tyler Vaughns, and St. Francis WR Dylan Crawford. All three juniors-to-be picked up offers from USC.

Sidney was the Tribune’s Newcomer of the Year last season after intercepting eight passes. Vaughns had 395 yards receiving and four touchdowns.

Crawford was St. Francis’ leading receiver with 993 yards and 10 touchdowns.

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St. Francis’ Dylan Crawford doing his thing vs. Monrovia.

Charter Oak Spring Showcase passing tournament field set … May 17 at Charter Oak HS

Fans who can’t wait until fall to get their football fix will appreciate that Charter Oak is hosting one of the earlier passing tournaments of the offseason just over a month from now.

The Charter Oak Spring Showcase is set for May 17 and field of 24 teams is entered led by several top local programs. The tournament will be a one-day event with the champion not expected to be crowned until early evening after a day’s worth of competition.

The field is: Charter Oak, Bishop Amat, Arroyo, Rosemead, Diamond Ranch, El Rancho, La Habra, Duarte, La Salle, Bonita, Etiwanda, La Puente, San Jacinto, Paloma Valley, Westlake, Saugus, West Ranch, Sonora, Eastside, Upland, Sierra Canyon, Calabassas, Hart and Redlands East Valley.

Bogan’s Back! Former South Hills coach takes over at Maranatha

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Steve Bogan, who won four CIF championships during a highly successful 20-year run at South Hills High School, was named the new varsity football head coach at Maranatha on Thursday.

Bogan replaces Jude Oliva, who stepped down last month after one season.

“Maranatha is a destination job for me,” said Bogan, who had shown interest in the Maranatha job two years ago when it was previously open. “When I believe that the lord is opening a door, and the time is right, I enter where I’m called.

“I feel that the environment on campus, the commitment to excellence and Maranatha’s focus on Christ aligns with how and I where I want to end my career.”

Bogan resigned from South Hills following the 2011 season. The move ended a wildly successful run that included four CIF championships, 13 league championships and a 32-12 record in the playoffs. He recently returned to coaching at South Hills, but at the freshman level.

Maranatha went 8-3 and won the Olympic League last season under Oliva. The school has been very aggressive in its push to build a top-flight athletics program. Last year, Maranatha hired Pasadena coaching legend Tim Tucker to head its boys basketball program.

Bogan inherits a program that looks ready to build on last year’s success. The Minutemen return one of the top players in the area in running back Caleb Devine. Also back is 3,000-yard passer Eli Snyder at quarterback.

Aram’s Take: Absolute coup by Maranatha. Bogan’s track record is just about unparalleled around these parts and he should be the long-term fit that Maranatha’s been needing to take things to the next level and beyond. Maranatha hasn’t publicly said so, but it’s clear they are trying to build the school through sports and having coaches like Bogan and Tucker around is proof of that. Could become quite the scary place considering how much Pasadena talent prefers to leave town and head to private schools … why go too far?

Follow me on Twitter @aramtolegian

Kurt Scoby makes it official with Fresno St. …

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Monrovia High School running back Kurt Scoby made good on his promise to get his academics in order and signed with Fresno St. on Tuesday afternoon.

Scoby, one of the top running back recruits on the West Coast, originally chose Fresno St. in fall but was unable to sign in February due to some unmet academic requirements. Fresno St. reserved Scoby’s scholarship in hopes of him qualifying and that’s exactly what he did.

“It was either do or die for me and I’m not going to die,” Scoby said. “That’s one thing I’m not going to do. I’m going to be successful and I have something to prove.

“My reaction is thanking God and proving people wrong. I’ve dealt with adversity for a while and I wanted prove people wrong and do what people said I couldn’t really do.”

Nobody’s ever doubted Scoby’s football talents, but many area fans were skeptical that he could reach the next level after bouncing around several schools since spending his first two prep seasons at Charter Oak.

Scoby left Charter Oak for Duarte in 2012 following a stellar sophomore season that saw him rush for over 1,500 yards and 21 touchdowns. Scoby never played a down at Duarte and eventually wound up at St. Paul where he played half of his junior season.

Scoby left St. Paul and briefly enrolled at Cathedral and Alemany before finally winding up at Monrovia. It was a decision he said helped him get his academics straightened out while still being able to shine on the field.

“It was just teaching myself how to be a student all over again,” Scoby said. “I know I could ball out, but it was just my time to show people that I could really ball out in the classroom and show people I’m not just a meat head and I can do my thing in the classroom as well as the football field.

“Being at Monrovia, I was back home and people really didn’t care about the athlete I was. They wanted me to be successful. They taught me how to be a student and it came out good.”

Scoby rushed for 2,206 yards and 35 touchdowns for the Wildcats last fall. He’s hoping to compete for a starting job at Fresno St. this season and said the Bulldogs’ non-conference schedule, which includes games against USC and Nebraska was a major draw for him.